"And the three kings had seen the Star of the Christ in the East and headed towards Nazareth."
(Interestingly, this improvisation makes use of the Introit for the Third Mass of Christmas.)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was slated along with Flor Peeters to be among the musical advisers in the midst of the liturgical changes in the 1960's. Neither was ever contacted. Incidentally, the latest issue of Sacred Music has a fascinating article by Catherine Pickstock about this 20th century musical giant.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Epiphany Improvisation of Olivier Messiaen
Michael E. LawrenceMore recent articles:
Should Communion Sometimes Be Eliminated to Avoid Sacrilege?Peter Kwasniewski
In a post at his Substack entitled “Nobody is talking about this in the Catholic world,” Patrick Giroux has the courage and good sense to raise the issue of the indiscriminate reception of the Lord at weddings and funerals where many attendees are not Catholics, or, if Catholics, not practicing, not in accord with Church teaching, or not in a state...
Update on the Palestrina500 Festival in Grand RapidsPeter Kwasniewski
On Friday, February 14th, the feast of Saint Valentine, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Grand Rapids, MI welcomed Gesualdo Six from London to sing a choral meditation and Mass for the parish's yearlong Palestrina500 festival.The choral meditation consisted of:Palestrina: Litaniae de Beata Virgine Maria a6Antoine Brumel: Sub tuum praesidiumJosquin d...
Catholic Education Foundation Seminar 2025: The Role of the Priest in Today’s Catholic SchoolDavid Clayton
July 16-18, at the Athenaeum of Ohio (the seminary of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati).Fr Peter Stravinskas of the Catholic Education Foundation is once again offering this excellent three-day seminar, intended primarily for bishops, priests, and seminarians. It is entitled The Role of the Priest in Today’s Catholic School.For further information: c...
Pope Francis RIPGregory DiPippo
Deus, qui inter summos sacerdótes fámulum tuum Franciscum ineffábili tua dispositióne connumerári voluisti: praesta, quáesumus; ut, qui Unigéniti Filii tui vices in terris gerébat, sanctórum tuórum Pontíficum consortio perpétuo aggregétur. Per eundem Christum, Dóminum nostrum. Amen.Courtesy of Shawn Tribe and Liturgical Arts JournalGod, Who in Thy ...
The Byzantine Paschal HourGregory DiPippo
In the Roman Rite, the minor Hours of Easter and its octave are celebrated according to a very simple and archaic form, which consists solely of the psalmody, the antiphon Haec dies, and the prayer, with the usual introduction and conclusion. (Haec dies is labeled as an “antiphon” in the Breviary, but it is identical to the first part of the gradu...
Easter Sunday 2025Gregory DiPippo
An icon of the Harrowing of Hell made in Constantinople in the late 14th century.Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness. Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savi...
The Twentieth Anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s ElectionGregory DiPippo
On this Holy Saturday, we also mark the 20th anniversary of the election of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Let us remember with gratitude the gift of his papacy, his graciousness and good humor, his many wise and well-considered writings, his paternal love especially for priests and religious, but of course above all, his restoration to the Church...
Holy Saturday 2025Gregory DiPippo
The Harrowing of Hell, by Duccio di Buoninsenga, 1308-11 R. Recessit pastor noster, fons aquae vivae, ad cujus transitum sol obscuratus est; * nam et ille captus est, qui captivum tenebat primum hominem: hodie portas mortis et seras pariter Salvator noster disrupit. V. Destruxit quidem claustra inferni, et subvertit potentias diaboli. Nam et ill...
Good Friday 2025Gregory DiPippo
The table of the Epitaphios at the end of Vespers today at St Anthony the Abbot, the Russian Greek-Catholic church in Rome.For how shall we be able to know, I and thy people, that we have found grace in thy sight, unless thou walk with us, that we may be glorified by all people that dwell upon the earth? And the Lord said to Moses: This word also, ...
Desacralizing LentMichael P. Foley
Christ in the Desert, 1898, by Breton RivièreI have been enjoying Peter Kwasniewski’s new book Close the Workshop, which argues that the old rite did not need to be fixed and that the new rite cannot be fixed. To support his argument, Kwasniewski begins with an analysis of the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Conci...
